Tamirat Tola of Ethiopia set a new Olympic record by winning the marathon in 2:06:26; Failure to complete Kipchoge.

Doctor verified

Paris: Ethiopia's Tamirat Tola won gold in the men's marathon event at the 2024 Games here on Saturday with a new Olympic record time of 2:06:26. Elude Kipchoge of Kenya, eyeing an unprecedented third consecutive top finish at the Olympics, failed to finish the marathon.

Belgium's Bashir Abdi won silver to go one step closer to his bronze in Tokyo, while Kenya's Benson Kipruto took bronze.

Tola entered the ongoing quarterfinals as a substitute after teammate Sisay Lema was injured and is now an Olympic gold medallist. He has now become the fourth Ethiopian to win the men's marathon at the Olympics.

“I was a reserve player in the Ethiopia team, but when Sisa got injured, I got a chance to represent him. I was fully prepared and knew that I could achieve my dream. I am happy to do that today. I'm very proud, very happy,” Tola told Olympics.com.

The men's marathon started at the historic Hotel de Ville and passed famous landmarks such as the Louvre and the Palace of Versailles, finishing at the iconic Invalides monument. The course thoroughly tested the runners due to its challenging terrain, which included steep climbs and steep descents.

Tola positioned himself strategically before making a decisive move to pull away after 35 kilometers and finally reach the finish line.

Bronze-medal-winner Kipruto dedicated his performance to his compatriot Kelvin Kiptum, the marathon world record holder who tragically died in a car accident in February earlier this year.

For veteran runner Kipchoge, it was a bad day at the office as he fell behind early and ultimately did not finish the race. He had to drop out just 30km into the marathon after running for an hour and about 40 seconds, citing discomfort around his waist. He told Olympics.com that this was the end of his Olympic marathon career.

“It is a difficult time for me. This is my worst marathon ever. I have never DNF'd (not finished). That's life. Like a boxer, I've been knocked out, I've won, I've finished second, eighth, 10th, fifth – now I'm not done. That's life.”

“You will see me differently, maybe inspire people, but I will not run. Don't know what's next. I have to go back (home), sit down and try to run at my 21-year-old high. I need to develop and feature in other things.